While some parents likened the scenes to ‘life in North Korea’, the school defended its uniform policy.
Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

It was not so much a case of the wrong trousers, but the wrong shade of grey at a school near Sunderland.

Pupils were forced to line up in the rain outside the gates of Kepier school in Houghton-le-Spring this week while teachers checked to see whether they were wearing the right £15.99 trousers in the the correct colour.

In scenes likened to “life in North Korea”, those who failed were sent home.

The school defended the move, saying it had told parents that only clothes of a particular colour and bought from a particular supplier were allowed for “consistency”.

Several pupils who were found not to be wearing the stipulated charcoal grey trousers from Sunderland firm Total Sport were sent home or banned from classes.

“I got a phone call within two minutes saying: ‘Mam, they’re not letting us through the school gates,’” said Kim Lister, whose son alerted her to the rigorous checks. “When I got down there were a load of children actually lined up having their uniform checked.

“I love the uniform, but it would be nice if parents could have a choice where to go for the uniform.”

Some parents demanded to know why they should pay £15.99 when a similar pair of trousers could be bought for £7 at Tesco.

Deb Pearson said her daughter was turned away at the school gates because she was wearing boots rather than shoes. “I had difficulty finding a pair which fit her, but it’s not like she was wearing trainers or anything like that,” she said.

“When she told them she had nowhere to go, they put her in an isolation room. The whole thing is ridiculous – it’s like the children are in a prison. They were checking their clothes for tags, which is just a disgrace.”

Donna Morris told the Sunderland Echo said she received a text saying her son Aaron, 14, was not allowed through the school gates because his trousers were bought at a different shop.

“I spoke to his teacher, who said he had to give Aaron a letter to send him home. They said it would not affect his attendance but Aaron would not be allowed back into the school until it was resolved.

“I went down to the school and spoke to one of the teachers who actually loaned him a pair of trousers from Total Sport so he could go into class. I just think it’s disgraceful.”

Keith Hood told the Echo: “Pupils lined up while headteacher compares trousers to a colour swatch. Sounds like life in North Korea.”

Nicky Cooper, the school’s headteacher, defended the move, saying: “We are very, very particular about the uniform because we need consistency right across the board.

“In doing so some learners were sent home. If you have different types of trousers it leads on to different types of shoes, different types of shirts, etc.”

The row follows a rebellion at the Isca academy in Exeter in June when about 30 boys turned up in skirts after being told they could not wear shorts rather than trousers despite temperatures exceeding 30C.